Well-wishers join 1,200 graduates for Chico State commencement

CHICO -- Excitement, joy and relief permeated University Stadium in Chico on Saturday as more than 1,200 men and women became Chico State University alumni.

As thousands of friends, parents, spouses, children and others packed the bleachers, 2013 graduates of the colleges of Communication and Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, and Natural Sciences lined up in a nearby field for the 123rd annual Commencement of Chico State University.

Natural Sciences graduate Ellie Amanda Pilecki Oliver gave a speech about her reflections.

"Looking back to four years ago, I'm amazed at how we've changed," Oliver began.

She said that what shaped her over the last four years were the people she met, the relationships she formed and the experiences she had.

A field trip to Costa Rica was a pivotal and important part of her education at Chico State.

"I didn't expect my world view to explode," she told her peers. "It was a humble experience."

Noting that the university is a "catalyst," Oliver said it brings people together who want to better themselves.

She concluded, "Life will challenge us ... we will always carry our relationships and a little bit of Chico with us."

One humorous address was given by Academic Senate Chair Russell Mills, who gave the graduates their final "lecture."

He noted a trend toward offering college courses online that could one day mean students wouldn't attend classes in person.

Mills quipped that college students of the future could even take a course taught by Lara Croft, referring to a video game and film character. The audience laughed.

"A university should be a place of people...," Mills added. "Never forget your experiences here, and help to encourage the next generations to come."

Before giving out certificates (not actual diplomas), Zingg told the class of 2013 there was one way they were unique.

Zingg cited a recent national scorecard initiated by President Obama that is designed to keep colleges and universities accountable by rating college costs, loan default rates, student loan borrowing and employment starting out at mid-career-level salaries.

"Only one university (in the country) earned a perfect score," he said. "You are graduating from that place today."

Zingg urged the 1,200 graduates to have the "audacity to hope," to dream for a brighter future, to champion reason and respect, and to think kindly of the university.

"We hope you leave us more self-reliant, more tolerant, more curious...," Zingg concluded. "We are a better place because you have been here."

Today graduates from the College of Agriculture, the College of Behavior and Social Sciences, the College of Business, and the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Construction Management will be honored.

Also, Wendell Lundberg, a member of a renowned rice-growing family from Richvale and a 1953 graduate of Chico State, will be awarded an honorary doctoral degree.